But this is no joke. These people are survivalists who agree to challenge themselves for 21 days in the wilderness. They meet for the first time at a location and begin their journey to find food, water, shelter and clothing. They do not get any money for this challenge.

Discovery Channel’s, Naked And Afraid holds the network’s record for the highest-rated survival telecast in its history, since 2009. The new season premieres tomorrow, March 16th at 9:00 pm Eastern Time – 8:00 pm Central.

Discovery Channel

My very talented younger brother, Rafael Monserrate who has been producing and directing for about 10 years, began working for The Discovery Channel in 2010. He is the Producer for tomorrow’s episode which takes place in the Amazon Jungle of Peru. I sat down (virtually because he’s in LA and I’m in MA) to talk to him about tomorrow’s episode.

Brickhouse: Hi, little brother. I am so proud of you, btw. Why did you choose to produce this episode?

Rafael:Hi, Beautiful Sis.I chose this episode because I have a deep love and connection to the Amazon Jungle in Peru. It is one of the most beautiful and magical places on earth. It is there where my personal spiritual journey began 10 years ago. I owe this jungle quite a bit.

Brickhouse: What is it like to work with and film naked people?

Rafael:Filming naked people in the jungle was strange for the first 20 minutes, then you forget about it and focus on documenting the story you are following. More than the nakedness, it is really the sense of primitive survival that becomes the focus.

Brickhouse:How tough was it to film this for 21 days?

Rafael: The shoot was physically and mentally exhausting. I was responsible for all logistics and all creative, in the field. It was a very taxing experience but incredibly rewarding. There was one particular night in which an epic ‘biblical’ rainstorm hit and it happened to be the one time that I had decided to stay out all night with the cast to shoot. I ended up having to suffer through the storm alongside them as I tried to keep shooting the story as it unfolded. The cast came dangerously close to hypothermia.

Brickhouse: At any point during this shooting were you worried about any of the survivalists’ health and ability to finish their challenge? Were you able to help them in any way?

Rafael: You become very concerned about the cast pretty early on. It is as intense as one could imagine. And remember, they are naked. We try not to intervene, as we aim to preserve the integrity of their experience as much as we can. At the end of the day, the survivalists want to know that if they succeed, they did it on their own with very little intervention. They truly want to own it. We do have a security detail and medical team on standby in case of emergencies. As far as health, etc, you will have to tune in to see what happens.

Brickhouse:What motivates the survivalists to do this?

Rafael:It really depends on the person. Most of these folks have a pretty significant background in outdoor adventure and survival. Some do it for an extreme personal challenge, some do it to shake up their lives a bit, change the routine, live on the edge. Some of the women take this on to be an example of female empowerment and to show that gender does not matter.

Brickhouse: What should we expect during tomorrow’s episode?

Rafael:This is a 2 hour show where the first hour and 15 minutes will feature the full episode, followed by 45 minutes of LIVE after-show discussions in which I will appear to answer some questions. This will be a great opportunity for the viewers to see how this amazing adventure takes place.

Brickhouse: OMG! Will you say ‘hi’ to me on LIVE television? Please? I took care of you all those years! Just kidding…Good luck tomorrow and please, don’t be naked.

Amigos, don’t be afraid to check out the premiere of Naked And Afraid, tomorrow Sunday 3/16/14 at 9:00 pm/8:00 central!

42 thoughts on “Are You Naked? Afraid? Afraid To Get Naked? An Interview With A Producer”

Now I get your comment on my blog. Duh! What a crazy interesting idea. Not sure if I would want to attempt it nude though. Too many critters getting in little places! Your brother better give you a shout out!

I immediately thought of you and John out there surviving the elements for 21 days. Hey, if you have survived months together in an RV, and are still married – you can do 21 days in the jungle NAKED! 🙂

That’s so cool! What an experience. I’d love to help out with something like that. But nudity doesn’t bother me. In college, a progressive group on campus did a calendar shoot where everyone was naked, but we talked about environmental issues in the calendar, and everything was strategically placed for the most part. I participated and found it a really liberating experience. Your brothers right, after the first 10 minutes or so of giggling is over, it’s just no big deal anymore and you carry on your work.

I missed the original, but I’ll watch for a rerun so I can catch this now!

Funny enough, Inion had just told me about this show a few days ago & how excited she was to see it. She loves Jungles in general and has always loved Peru. I didn’t think much about it, (well except the fact that they we’re naked) which I thought was strange. But having read this, it really does take quite an adventurous spirit to tackle something of this magnitude. Now I will have to go into DVR & watch it! It kind of gives off an Adam/Eve feel, so I guess seeing how we all started that way, fig leaves and all, it only makes sense we should end up that way! And can I say I love the banter between you & your little brother, which reminded me of Inion & her younger brother, Vincent. It’s clear how much you love each other & how proud you are of him. We shall be spreading the word of the brilliant director & the hot new show sure to captivate the world!! Great post, sharing now!!

You are SO SWEET! Thank you, greatly! I never knew much about the show either but it was great to get the behind the scenes from my brother. I am 6 years older than him and I took care of him like a mother! We are very close, you are right. Glad you see that in Inion & Vincent. Thanks again for spreading the word. 🙂

Awesome work little BHC bro! I can’t wait to watch. I’ve always been curious about how “real” these scenarios can feel when you have a camera and production crew right there. Although, it also produces a new dimension — the mental piece of the challenge must be so much tougher knowing that production is right there and you could easily give up at any moment. Usually I can get myself through more challenging situations by reminding myself that I have no option other than to just suck it up and make it work, and the show takes that mental trick away to a certain extent.

I know, Pinot! I can’t imagine any aspect of this. I am a survivalist in my own way, but NOT to this extreme. My brother said it was very intense and real. It certainly is a good weight loss program. 🙂

I love this show! It has priority status to be recorded on my dvr. It causes me to cringe so much as I watch it. I can’t imagine being so exposed to all the creepy, crawly, and dangerous inhabitants of the wild areas they go into. I will be watching!

Thanks, Marcia! Glad to hear you are a fan. I’ve watched a couple of episodes and am looking forward to tonight. It’s great to get the insight from my brother. I wouldn’t last a second, for the same reason. Creepy crawly slithering creatures. AHHHHHH!

You have to give the survivalists credit for challenging themselves like this. And on television! Craziness. I would love to visit the Jungles of Peru but fully clothed and with a mosquito net draped over me. 🙂

Wow! This is so cool, Maria! I had no idea there was so much talent in your family…first you and now your adorable brother. I will be sure to tune in…congratulations to your brother! By the way, that’s a great picture of the two of you.

Gracias, Jill! There is a lot of talent in my family but it skipped right over me. 🙂 It’s fun to follow his career and his accomplishments. One year I went to LA for the premiere of a movie (Poundcake) he directed and it was a blast. Red Carpet event and all. My sister also got the talent gene with her theater acting and my older brother has done stand up comedy. 🙂 It will be fun watching tonight.

I have watched parts of a couple of episodes. Very interesting show. I can’t imagine running around in the jungle so vulnerable. I will be watching this one, you’ve added another level of curiosity in knowing the director.